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Berkeley High School custodian shot Friday in an attempted robbery

A Berkeley High School custodian and his family were shot in an attempted robbery Friday morning, resulting in the death of the custodian’s mother, according to a Monday newsletter sent to the high school community.

Dinesh Kumar, who was shot multiple times in his Richmond home, has stabilized and is expected to fully recover, according to the release. His mother was shot and killed. Although his children and wife were home, they were left unharmed.

“This was an astonishingly brutal act committed against a nice, hardworking, and tight-knit family,” said the high school’s Principal Pasquale Scuderi in the newsletter. “Our love, prayers, and positive energy should flow their way as they deal with the shock, loss, pain and grief that have been imposed upon them.”

The newsletter states that the Richmond Police Department has said that a suspect is in custody and that another person is being sought.

“Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family of today’s homicide. Investigative leads on this case are pending, and there is one suspect in custody,” the police department said in a Facebook status Friday.

The high school has started a fund for the family to help them cover their expenses. According to the high school’s Monday newsletter, Kumar’s mother had recently moved from Fiji, so the money will go toward “regular day to day costs as well as unexpected funeral expenses and travel needs from Fiji.”

Donations will be collected until Friday, and checks should be written to Berkeley High School, indicating they are for the DK Fund. They are to be turned in to Bobbye Reed in the high school Registrar’s Office.